How important is it to learn to code

It has been estimated that by the year 2020, there will be 1 million more computer science jobs than students learning the skills to fill them. As an entrepreneur you might not be in the tech industry, but chances are this talent shortage will hit you in a big way.

Coding skills are becoming ever more important and is quickly turning into the core competency needed in the current global economy. This is leading individuals and students to seek out new ways of learning to code, start-ups and non-profits to find ways to help them and businesses to search for innovative approaches to finding the coders they so desperately need.

In the coming years, the number of coding jobs is only expected to increase. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 913,000 computer programmer jobs in 2010. That number is expected to jump 35% from 2010 to 2020.

With the increasing demand growing for students with skills in computer science and programming, Code.org, a non-profit that promotes computer science education, launched the “Hour of Code” a unique initiative as part of the annual Computer Science Education Week from December 9-15.

This initiative will reach across 33,000 schools in 166 countries, which will all set aside at least one hour this week to teaching computer science. The initiative provides a fun and engaging introduction to coding aimed at absolute programming beginners, and gives teachers the tools necessary to bring the Hour of Code to their classrooms and advocate for computer science class options in their school district.

Backed by President Obama, as well as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, it’s hoped that the initiative could help bridge a growing divide between Silicon Valley and US school curricula. “Don’t just download the latest app, help design it,” says Obama, inspirationally!

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